START YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFE SCIENCES CAREER HERE!

Ecology is the cornerstone of the Life Sciences. It provides the link between the different branches of Life Sciences, structuring them as a complete concept of life. Ecology studies the relationships between living beings, be it animal, plants or microorganisms, and with their environment. How we interact, benefit or compete with each other, how we evolve together, how the environment presents opportunities for change, and how living beings alter the environment to provide for their own needs.

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. Ecosystems & Populations
2. The Development Of Life
3. Animals, Parasites & Endangered Species
4. Fungi, Tundra, Rainforests & Marshlands
5. Mountains, Rivers & Deserts
6. Shallow Waters
7. Ecological Problems

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• To identify the components of an ecosystem and how they interact.
• Discuss the basis of the Theory of Evolution and those elements of science which influenced the theory.
• To discuss the existence of animals in the ecosystem.
• To discuss the presence of plant life in a range of ecological situations
• To discuss the ecological features of mountains, rivers and deserts.
• To discuss the ecological features of shallow water regions and coral seas.
• To discuss the ecological implications of human activities on the environment.

• Observe an ecosystem in your local area. Identify the inhabitants of the ecosystem and their location in the food web of that system.
• Compare the similarities and differences between the detrital web and the grazing web
• Discuss what scientific discoveries the Theory of Evolution, both past and present, is based on.
• List and explain the four arguments of evolution.
• Define Natural Selection.
• Discuss how genetics are related to evolution.
• Go to an ecological environment (as natural and un-human interfered as possible) and observe the plants and relationships that exist.
• Visit a local stream or river. Observe the condition of the stream, particularly the presence of indigenous vegetation and its affect on stream bank condition. Also look for evidence of human activity on the condition of the stream or river
• Discuss, in your own words, the theories which have been advanced in the past regarding the formation of coral reefs.